2013-14 Indiana University Northwest Women’s Basketball Season Preview

2013-14 Indiana University Northwest Women’s Basketball Season Preview

RedHawks return with new additions, high expectations

Portage High career scoring leader Nicki Monahan leads 2013 recruiting class

The 2013-14 RedHawks return with a new look and positive outlook for the upcoming season. A talented group of newcomers will be expected to blend with an experienced group of returners. Head coach Ryan Shelton is confident that recent additions to the RedHawks Women’s Basketball team will well position them for the upcoming season as the program is coming off their first sub.-500 season (13-17) since the 2007-2008 season and return to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2011.

The incoming class and infusion of talented players includes Portage High School star Nicki Monahan, who broke the school’s all-time career scoring record en route to being named the Post-Tribune’s Player of the Year this past season.

Joining Monahan are athletic guards expected to make an immediate impact: Brooke Gardner (Chesterton/Youngtown State) and Bernadette Grabowski (Munster). Gardner a former Chesterton standout, comes to IU Northwest from NCAA Division I Youngstown State, and has four years of eligibility remaining.

“The bigger, physical guards that we have added to the roster provide a dimension and depth to our backcourt that we have really never had previously and will provide a lot of options on both ends of the floor that simply were not available to us last season,” Shelton said. “Gardner and Grabowski have made a strong impression over the summer.”

Another player earning high grades this summer is 6’ 2” post Danielle Zandstra, who begins her first season with the RedHawks after earning back-to-back All-Skyway Conference selections in each of her two season at Prairie State, leading the Pioneers, one of the most improved junior college programs in the nation, to the NJCAA National Tournament in 2012 and district finals in 2013. .

Other newcomers include Faith Dammarell and Brittany Slicker from Boone Grove, Caitlin Leath (Hobart), Briana Lewin (Hebron) and Tylissa Fulgham (Highland).

“We worked hard to add players to our roster who were talented and mature, ready to contribute right away,” Shelton said. “It’s very exciting that these new players are joining the talented and experienced starting five players from last season.”

IU Northwest returns all five starters from a season ago and roster that didn’t feature a single senior.

All-A.I.I. senior-forward Megan Holland expects to be one of the top players in the A.I.I. again this season after earning an All-A.I.I. first team selection as a junior, and leading all of college basketball in field-goal percentage at 68 percent shooting form the floor.

Fellow seniors, Valerie Zulevic, Rebecca Theriault, Annmarie Keller and Brianne Wischman, join Holland as they are expected to provide valuable experience and familiarity that the team lacked last season. Senior center Valerie Zulevic ranked second on the team last year in scoring (10.1 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg) while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc.

Three-time team captain and junior point guard Brittany DeWell is expected to control the RedHawk offense as the season tips.

“DeWell, always a excellent ‘on-ball’ defender, has looked great in practice thus far and is taking on a more aggressive approach on the offensive end,” Shelton said.

Keller and Wischman are the final two holdovers from the last RedHawks A.I.I. Championship and National Tournament team in 2011, and will look to help lead the RedHawks back to Sioux City, Iowa, this March.

Former Purdue University standout player Marcus Green joins the coaching staff in first season as the team’s top assistant.

It all leads to the A.I.I. Conference Tournament to be held on the campus of Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, February 28-March 1. The RedHawks open their season at home when they welcome Goshen College to the Savannah Center on Oct. 29. The Savannah Center located on the IU Northwest campus at 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN 46408. For individual or season ticket information please call (219) 981-6944 or visit: www.iunredhawkathletics.com